Sunny start to Agfest

Agfest patrons are set to enjoy another day of sunshine before rain hits on Saturday afternoon.

Crowds were not deterred by a cold start to Agfest, with 16,473 people flooding to Quercus Rural Youth Park for the first day of Agfest.

Some patrons also braved hazardous conditions with fog and frost covering parts of the Midlands Highway.

“This morning we did have quite a cold morning, so there was a lot of frost about, as well as some isolated pockets of mist,” said the Bureau of Meteorology’s Michael Laczko.

Tomorrow’s weather seems destined to be much the same, with a forecast maximum of 15 degrees.

“Friday is looking like another mainly fine day, but we’re likely to see some more morning fog about,” he said. “We’re expecting some rain to come through on Saturday, mainly on Saturday afternoon, and the winds are expected to pick up as well.”

Mr Laczko said that while the weather for the rest of the week will be fairly typical for this time of year, the BoM is forecasting a potential El Niño for later in the year.

“Our current forecasts for an El Niño are about 50%, which is about twice the normal likelihood of an El Niño developing this year,” he said.

Potential effects of an El Niño system include warmer temperatures, decreased rainfall and increased frost risk.